How Pochettino is already turning Spurs into the Saints

Mauricio Pochettino seems to have already started the processing of knitting his Southampton pattern into the fabric of White Hart Lane.

The Argentine is reportedly spearheading an attempt from Spurs to sign Hadjuk Split 16-year-old Andrija Balic, as he goes about creating a sustainable blueprint at the North London club.

One of Pochettino’s best traits at the Saints was the way he helped younger players to develop before he gave them opportunities to play in his first team, regardless of their young age.

Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers, Nathaniel Clyne and James Ward-Prowse are just a few examples of youngsters who have progressed well under the guidance of the talented coach.

Balic is certainly not the highest profile or most expensive signing that Pochettino makes this summer but the teenager could be one of the most significant.

Tottenham have one of the best academy setups in the country and investing in youth will improve the quality of the youngsters in place, as well as giving Pochettino more first team options over the next couple of years.

The danger of this youthful approach from Spurs is something which can be seen with the Saints at the moment.

Manchester United are circling Luke Shaw, looking to snap the left-back up on a big money deal while Chambers and Clyne have been linked with moves to Arsenal and Liverpool respectively.

Any side that generates young players consistently becomes a target for rival clubs looking to snap up those stars when those players prove their consistency in the top flight.

The difference is that Tottenham are in a better position to be able to resist the advances of the bigger sides looking to buy their players, whereas Southampton are arguably more vulnerable to big money offers.

Daniel Levy has shown a willingness to sell Tottenham’s best players in the past and the worry is that academy generated players mean profit because they haven’t cost a massive fee to buy in the first place.

However, Pochettino’s success has partly been built on being allowed to take risks and fingers crossed Levy will give him that opportunity.

Lewis Doe

Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.Lewis is HITC Sport's La Liga correspondent.